Sweat, tears and camaraderie as 20,000 runners take on world’s largest ultramarathon

Athletes gather before the start of the Comrades Marathon in Durban. Photograph: James Oatway/The Guardian

In the early morning dark, thousands of runners waited, jostling with anticipation. South Africa’s national anthem rang out. Then the haunting swell of Shosholoza, first sung by Zimbabwean migrant workers in South Africa’s goldmines. Finally, that unmistakable, spine-tingling piano: Chariots of Fire.

• Runners gather before the start of the marathon